1. Technical Field
This invention generally relates to method and apparatus for deploying and/or licensing wireless communication device computer software infrastructure to manufacturers and/or distributors and/or sellers or the like of wireless communication devices.
2. Related Art
Wireless communication devices are now well known and commonly used. Such devices are manufactured or distributed or sold by numerous entities some of which provision their particular devices with unique features. Various service providers (e.g., wireless carriers or communication data relay service providers or the like) often also provide end user devices having various suites of features. It is even conceivable that a sophisticated end user or a large enterprise utilizing a number of such devices might improvise their own unique suite of device features.
It is also known that sometimes two or more parties (e.g., wireless carrier services and device manufacturers) will produce and bring an end user device product to market with particular suites of available features. Obviously there have been, in effect, joint developments with licenses being granted in one or both directions so as to produce a product whose ultimate revenue stream from end users will benefit all of those involved in the joint development project.
Some examples of prior arrangements for provisioning wireless devices with features that provide revenue sharing between two or more parties involved with the feature development, provisioning and/or service are noted below:
US 2002/0,198,847 A1-Fahraeus
US 2004/203,683 A1-Engstrom et al.
US 2003/0,185,240 A1-Vuang
US 2004/0,054,786-Kjellberg et al.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,754,833 B1-Black et al.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,795,700 B1-Karaoguz et al.
However, it is not believed that the prior art has yet provided a simple, integrated solution that incorporates licensing, revenue sharing and provisioning so as to permit a device manufacturer to easily license one or more features and include them in an end user device.